Combined bustle and corset



(No Model.)

M. A. WATERHOUSE.

COMBINED BUSTLE AND 00mm.

No. 290,505. Patented Dec. 18, 1883.

N PETERS. Phaloliflmpaph-r. madman n.c.

UNITED STAT S PATENT @FFEEE.

MARK A. wnrnnrrousn, or orrronoo, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To AI warns nousn,OF DURHAM, MAINE.

COMBINED BUSTLE AND CORSET.

$PECIFIOATION forming part of Letters ilatent No. 290,505, datedDecember 18, 1883.

Application filed May 12,1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARK AWA'rnRHoUsn, a citizen of the United States,residing in Ohicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Combined Bustle andGorset, of which the following is a specification.

Theobject of my invention is to'provide a corset with awell-definedbustle that can be readily opened or expanded orcloscd orcontractcd at will, so as to suit the form or fancy. of the wearer, andalso to'provide a corset thatlaccs in the back with a well-defined adjustable spring-bustle formed with the corset, and adapted to allow thelatter to be freely opened in the back, so as to admit of both thecorset and the bustle being adjusted to the form of the wearer withoutdetaching the bustle. These objects I attain by constructing a corsetthat laces in the back with a two-part springbustle having its meetingedges adapted to be laced together, as hereinafter described andclaimed, and illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1represents a corset provided with a bustle in accordance withmyinvention and fitted upon the figure ofa woman. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of one of the halves of the corset and bustle; Fig. 3,a similar view of the re maining half, with a portion of the corsetbroken away. 1

A A denote the two halves of a corset, provided along their rear meetingedges with eyelets or other analogous devices foralacing, B, by means ofwhich the corset can be laced in the back. 7

The corset is constructed with a two-part bustle, O, one of which saidparts is formed integral with each one of the parts or halves A 40 ofthe corset. The line of junction between the two halves of the hustleand thetwo halves or parts of the corset is somewhat above the loweredge of the latter, whereby space shall be left between the corsetandthebustle for springs adapted to hold the bustle. out from the corset,and to preserve the shape of the bustle under all circumstances.

As herein shown, the springs D consist of flat strips of spring metalsecured in any suitable way at one end in pockets in the corsetbaclz,and at their outer ends coiled, so as to increase their efliciency, andarranged to bear against the inner sides of each half of the twopartbustle.

The meeting edges of the two-part bustle are 5 5 in line with, or can,as herein shown, project somewhat beyond, the back meeting edges of thecorset,and are provided with eyelet-holes, or with other suitable meansfor receiving or holdingalacing, F, whereby when the corset is laced upin the back the ineetingedgcs of the two-part bustle can also besimilarly laced together, and thus the halves or parts of the bustle bedurably and substantially connected with each other.

It will be seen that the corset can be opened to any desired extent inthe back, and the bustle opened and consequently expanded to acorresponding degree by loosening the lacing between its two halves, andthat after being thus expanded it will still preserve its symmetry andpresent a complete and well-defined bustle, since each half ismaintained in a distended condition by the springs,and the parts stillconnected together by the lacing.

The form of springs herein shown is obviously convenient and conduciveto the preseryation of the shape of the bustle, since the latter canrest upon the coiled ends of thesprings. I do not, however, confinemyself to the pre cise construction of springs shown, since thespringstrips could be bent in a variety of ways 5 or coiled springscould be used.

The corset can be adjusted above the bustle by opening or closing it inthe back above the 8 5 point where the lacing for the bustle is located,and hence a perfect fit obtained.

By the above construction there will be no liability of the accidentaldetachment or shifting of the bustle, since while it stands out from 0the corset it forms a part of the same, and yet is susceptible ofexpansion or contraction to suit the figure of the wearer and to beopened conjointly with the opening of the corset in the back.

I no not consider it necessary to enter into a detailed description ofthe exact way in which a section of the corset and of the bustle areformed in one piece, since such can be accomplished in a variety of waysthat will readily 10o suggest themselves to the manufitcturer. Thebustle, however, comprises a portion of the fabric employedin making thecorset, and both 1 two parts respectively constructed with the thecorset and the bustle can be strengthened or stiffened with ribs orstays in any desired manner.

Instead of lacing the corset in the back, it may be fastened in anyother desired manner, but preferably so as to be adjustable, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination, with a corset laced or fastened in the back, of atwo-part bustle constructed with the corset and adapted to be expandedor contracted, substantially as de scribed.

2. A corset adapted to lace in the back, and constructed with a two-partbustle having its meeting edges adapted to be laced together,substantially as described.

3. A springbustle for a corset, composed of two halves or parts of acorset that is adapted to be laced in the back, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination,with a corset adapted to lace in the back, ofthe'twopart bustle having its halves respectively made integral with thehalves of the corset and adapted to be laced together, and the springslocated between the bustle and the lower back portion of the corset,substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a corset that laces in the back, of thetwo-partbustle constructed with the corset, and the springs D, composedof strips of spring metal secured to the corset under the bustle,substantially as described.

, MARK A. XVATERHOUSE. \Vitnessesi JNo. G. ELLIOTT, W. W. ELLIOTT.

